RAF Typhoons intercept Russian 'Bears'

The RAF has released pictures of two long-range Russian reconnaissance aircraft intercepted as they approached British airspace north of Scotland this week.
Two Typhoon quick reaction fighters were scrambled on Wednesday as the two Tu-95 aircraft.
Pictures taken by the Typhoon pilots based at RAF Leuchars show the fighters shadowing the Bears in international airspace.
The four engine turboprop long-range aircraft can be fitted to carry missiles, or conduct airborne surveillance and have been in service for more than 50 years.
Defence sources said Bears regularly probed Nato airspace and Typhoons are routinely scrambled to investigate them. There were eight similar incidents last year.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the fighters were launched “to determine the identity of unknown aircraft that approached the Nato Air Policing Area north of Scotland and could not be identified by other means.
The aircraft were subsequently identified as Russian military reconnaissance Bears. The Russian Bears aircraft remained in international airspace as they are perfectly entitled to do.
The Russian Tu-95 ‘Bear H’ aircraft had been intercepted and then handed over to Danish F-16 fighters as they flew towards Danish airspace. They were then picked up again by the Typhoons as they turned back towards the UK, before they finally headed off towards Norway.
During the sortie Typhoons were refuelled twice from a RAF Voyager aircraft, from RAF Brize Norton.
telegraph